Linda and I got up early several mornings to take liesurely strolls along the beach, catching beautiful sunrises as well as interesting shots of good looking creatures like the guy pictured here.
It was an adventure when the whole clan headed for the beach. The Carpenter army took up considerable space.
What would a trip to the beach be without trying my hand at some body-board surfing? It was fun, tiring, and a skill I still haven't got the hang of.
In between times to the beach, I didn't forget the importance of practicing my sign language. In fact, with Britney hamming it up next to me, I am actually practicing the sign for "practice."
A big blessing of the week was a visit from our nearby Virginia relatives. Julie (my niece) and her husband, Jim, came down with their two boys, Evan and Jared. Eric (my nephew), who had flown in for my other nephew's heart transplant, was also able to come. We were glad that we could share our vacation house and hang on the beach with them if only for a day.
Evan was having a great time in the surf, while Eric was helping Jared with body-boarding.
Before the week was over, we wanted to get a family picture. I had told Linda three weeks earlier that I needed a haircut and still did not have one. Melody and Stacey jumped to the rescue. Being the daring guy I am, I let them have at me as Mel cut my hair and Stace went for my eyebrows.
On Thursday evening, we all headed to the beach to get that family shot. From left to right are Josh, Britney, Jeremy, Melody holding Claire, Gabe in front of Melody, me, Linda, Stacey holding Joel, Dan holding Cale, Nathan standing, Julie holding Seth, and Scott. We treasure those times when the entire family can be together.
When we returned to the house, the boys had a surprise in store for me. They had planned a sabbatical salute for me. Each of them had written a letter concerning what it meant to have me as a dad and the lessons they learned from me about Christ, marriage & family, and life. We all gathered around the kitchen table and one by one each of the boys read their letters. It was so personal, humbling and overwhelming. It was definitely an experience I will never forget. Then when they were done, they wanted to lay hands on Linda and I and pray for our remaining years in the ministry. It was the highlight of the trip for me.
After a great week, we packed up and headed for home. On the way, Linda and I had the opportunity to stop at Norfolk and visit with my nephew, Tim, who had a heart transplant just 11 days earlier. It was a moving and awesome hour. At 35, Tim seems way too young to need a heart transplant. But after several years of battling a heart that had finally grown three times the size of a normal heart, nearly collapsing his left lung, it had to be done. He is doing remarkably well and you can see he hasn't lost his sense of humor. Some nearby forest fires have created problems with smoke, and at times even in the hospital. When he has needed to wear a mask, he wanted to make sure people could see him smiling. His recovery will be long and we hope that everyone will continue to pray for his complete healing.
We then went up to Newport News to stay the night with RJ and Janie (Linda's sister), Tim's parents. I don't know how they missed the camera, but they had kept our dog, Shadow, for the week. We had a great evening of fellowship with them, and then left bright and early for the long, 13 hour drive back to Kokomo. As we did, we couldn't forget the message I left in the sand with my "Jesus Loves You" sandals. And we love you too!!
